Measuring out cups

[kitty_ev]

This really is a basic question, but I really don't know how to do it.

I've got an American cookbook and it's calling for 2 cups of sliced peppers. How do I know before I start slicing how many peppers to buy? How do I measure 2 cups of something sliced? I understand measuring powdery things or rice, but how do you do it with larger things? Do you pack them into the cup or not? Does 2 cups of sliced peppers equate to less pepper than 2 cups of diced peppers? If I'm using an English recipe it usually calls for a proportion of the pepper or a weight of pepper which I can deal with, but this cups malarkey is flummoxing me!

[Acadianna]

What kind of pepper are we talking about?  If it's a bell pepper (some people call them green peppers -- they're the big ones, not small like jalopenos), then I usually figure about 2 peppers per cup.  If the peppers are unusually small or large, then you might have to buy fewer or more.

The smaller you cut up the pepper, the more it will take to fill the cup.  Smaller pieces have less space between them, so they pack in more tightly.

I usually lightly pack food into the measuring cup, unless the recipe directs otherwise.

I'd err on the side of having too much pepper.  Anything left over can be bagged and frozen for next time.

Hope this helps!

[Sharnita]

pretty much the above.  You start cutting and putting slices in and you stop when you have enough.  You guestimate when you buy the peppers

[AmethystAnne]

OP ....... What are you making?

[Dazi]

Honestly, I never measure things like that.  I would slice up 3-4 peppers depending on the size and call it a day.

[RegionMom]

A cup is 8 ounces.  if you have a picky eater, you could make the pepper big enough to pick out, or small enough to mix in and not be so noticeable. 
Mmmmmm!!!!

[Sophia]

There are weight conversion charts for about everything.  Just google "Pepper cup gram". 

[wx4caster]

Honestly, I never measure things like that.  I would slice up 3-4 peppers depending on the size and call it a day.

That's my MO. Chop until you've got a nice pile. And a few extra vegetables (almost) never hurt a dish, so I tend to use more than called for anyway.

[Hmmmmm]

Just remember when we say cup, we mean volume not weight.  And while a cup is 8 oz, 8 oz volume of potato is going to weigh a lot more than 8 oz volume of celery.

When going with diced or sliced items, I go by my preference and put into the measuring cup.  The only time I really pack is with brown sugar or if a recipe says to with herbs.

[Oh Joy]

My understanding is that the order of the words matters. 

Peppers are a tough example, but take mushrooms instead. If the recipe calls for "2 cups diced mushrooms", dice however many mushrooms it takes to fill 2 cups.  2 cups sliced mushrooms is the same concept, but will take fewer mushrooms.

However, if it calls for "2 cups mushrooms, diced" then measure 2 cups of whole mushrooms, then dice them without regard for how much volume you end up with.

Make sense? 

[Sophia]

That is why converting the measurement to weight first makes so much sense.  One person might end up with too many peppers because they dice smaller.

[Thipu1]

Exact measurements matter in baking but not so much in cooking. 

When cutting vegetables it's really a matter of taste.  We sometimes have digestion problems with sweet peppers so we'll go a little light on them.  However, we love onions and mushrooms so we'll go a bit heavier there.  Mostly, we just eyeball the amount and go with it.

[jmarvellous]

I never worry about exact measurements for bulky things like this (though I do for powders or liquids). I have a pretty good idea of the amount of space a cup of something would take up (for me, it's approximately the space formed when I cup my hands and put them next to each other, or if I squared off the dimensions of a tennis ball); going too small or too much won't screw it up too much.

A cup of bell peppers is probably two whole, seeded peppers, sliced up.